Fisch, Max H., et al. Eds.  Classic American Philosophers: Peirce, James, Royce, Santayana, Dewey, Whitehead.  New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts, The Century Philosophy Series, 1951.

Abstract

It is increasingly apparent that American philosophy has had its classical period, corresponding to the Greek classical period from Democritus through Aristotle, the medieval Christian from Abelard through Thomas Aquinas and Duns Scotus, the British from Bacon through Hume, the German from Kant through Hegel. Our classical period began just after our Civil War and ended just before the Second World War. Its canon is already nearly fixed. It includes six philosophers. They Charles Sanders Peirce, William James, Josiah Royce, George Santayana, John Dewey, and Alfred North Whitehead. The primary purpose of the present volume is to introduce these philosophers to readers who do not yet know their writings at first hand. My collaborators and I have agreed on the philosophers to be included, and on the general plan of the volume. Our collaboration extends further to the reading and criticism of each collaborator's work by all the others, as well as by Professor Lamprecht, the general editor of the series in which the volume appears. But each collaborator has been free to adopt or reject the suggestions of his fellows, and each accepts full responsibility for the part that bears his name. In the case of those who have written introductions to the individual philosophers, the responsibility extends to the selections that follow. This freedom and responsibility of each collaborator has resulted in certain disparities, both in the selections and in the introductions. Some of the introductions are more biographical, others more expository, still others more critical. Some are synoptic or comprehensive, others emphasize certain aspects of the philosopher's work and ignore the rest. some of the groups of selections consist entirely or predominantly of complete essays or chapters, others include mosaics of shorter passages. In each case, the collaborator aimed to introduce the philosopher in question as effectively as he knew how. The reader must decide for himself which of the philosophers he wishes to know better. The Appendix will suggest how he may then proceed. There are several histories of American philosophy as a whole, and of the period here represented in particular. Most of these are listed in the Appendix. The present volume is not intended as a substitute for such a history. The general introduction sketches some of the prominent features of the thought of the period, with reference primarily to the philosophers here represented, and with a view to suggesting certain relationships among them, or between them and their contemporaries. Its purpose, like that of the volume as a whole, is introductory. It does not aim at the comprehensiveness or balance of a definitive history, or even of a synoptic outline. In alonger general introduction, we might have inquired how far the tendencies discerned in America were prevalent elsewhere. We might also have given some account of the influence of our philosophers upon the thought and life of their time. A quite different introduction might have been organized in terms of their contributions to the major field of philosophy - metaphysics, theory of knowledge, semantics, logic, philosophy of science, ethics, aesthetics, general theory of value, social philosophy, philosophy of religion. Such an introduction would have avoided the chief defect of this one: its neglect of the five fields last named. Still another introduction might have focused on the major problems, and in particular on such shifts as that from the question, "How do we know?" to the question "What do we mean?" The present introduction cannot possess the virtues of these or other alternatives, but we trust it may have virtues of its own. We say to the reader, then: here you will find yourself in the company of the six major philosophers who have taught and written in these United States in the past three-quarters of a century, and here is enough of the best work of each to represent him fairly and to recommend him, if anything will, to your better acquaintance. What it is you ask of philosophy, if you find no part or promise of it here, will be hard to find elsewhere. - from the editors' Preface